The reef environment and competitive success in the Corallimorpharia

Kuguru, Baraka; Mgaya, Yunus D.; Öhman, Marcus; Wagner, Gregory M.

doi:10.1007/s00227-004-1376-9

Cited by 33 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…High corallimorpharian abundances are correlated with high sedimentation and nutrient levels , Kuguru et al 2004) and high irradiance and increased temperature (Kuguru et al 2007). Transitions to sponge dominated reefs may also be linked to declining water quality; for example, Holmes et al (2000) found a positive correlation between eutrophication and high boring sponge abundances on live massive corals and branching rubble at 9 Indonesian reefs.…”

Section: Environmental and Human Drivers Of Phase Shiftsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative states on coral reefs: beyond coral–macroalgal phase shifts

Norström¹,

Nyström²,

Lokrantz³

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

534

402

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Degradation of coral reefs is often associated with changes in community structure where macroalgae become the dominant benthic life form. These phase shifts can be difficult to reverse. The debate on coral reef phase shifts has not focused on reports of coral reefs becoming dominated by other life forms following disturbance. A review of the primary and grey literature indicates that reefs dominated by corallimorpharia, soft corals, sponges and sea urchins can enter an alternative state as a result of a phase shift. Shifts can be triggered by pulse disturbances that cause largescale coral mortality, and may become stable as a result of positive feedback mechanisms. However, they may differ from the archetypical coral-macroalgae shift, depending on the factors driving the shift; whereas coral-macroalgae and coral-urchin shifts seem to be driven by loss of top-down control through overfishing, shifts to corallimorpharian, soft coral and sponge dominance seem more associated with changes in bottom-up dynamics. Understanding the differences and similarities in mechanisms that cause and maintain this variety of alternative states will aid management aimed at preventing and reversing phase shifts of coral reefs.

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Section: Environmental and Human Drivers Of Phase Shiftsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative states on coral reefs: beyond coral–macroalgal phase shifts

Norström¹,

Nyström²,

Lokrantz³

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

534

402

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“…The corallimorpharians Rhodactis rhodostoma and Discosoma unguja are nonreef-building invertebrates that commonly occupy shallow coral reefs in the IndoPacific region and may successfully dominate some reef areas following bleaching and other disturbances that kill stony corals (Chadwick-Furman & Spiegel 2000, Kuguru et al 2004). Polyps of R. rhodostoma and D. unguja occupy contrasting habitats on coral reefs in the northern Red Sea.…”

Section: Abstract: Photoacclimation Mechanisms · Corallimorpharians mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Understanding more about the physiological properties of corallimorpharians offers an opportunity to uncover a latent chapter in the evolution of corals and their ability to survive immense climatic changes. While the effects of light and temperature stress on reef-building corals have been extensively studied, corallimorpharians have been almost completely overlooked in this context, despite their key evolutionary role.The corallimorpharians Rhodactis rhodostoma and Discosoma unguja are nonreef-building invertebrates that commonly occupy shallow coral reefs in the IndoPacific region and may successfully dominate some reef areas following bleaching and other disturbances that kill stony corals (Chadwick-Furman & Spiegel 2000, Kuguru et al 2004). Polyps of R. rhodostoma and D. unguja occupy contrasting habitats on coral reefs in the northern Red Sea.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms of habitat segregation between corallimorpharians: photosynthetic parameters and Symbiodinium types

Kuguru¹,

Chadwick²,

Achituv³

et al. 2008

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Corallimorpharians are evolutionarily important relatives to reef-building corals, yet little is known about their ecophysiology. We demonstrate that physiological mechanisms determine, in part, the light-dependent distributional patterns of 2 corallimorpharians, Rhodactis rhodostoma and Discosoma unguja, on coral reefs in the northern Red Sea. Field measurements of the physiological parameters related to photosynthetic activity revealed that zooxanthellae abundance, chlorophyll a concentration, maximum quantum yield (F v /F m ), and excitation pressure of Photosytem II (Q m ) varied equally for both species among 3 depths. In contrast, laboratory measurements in 3 experimental light treatments -low light (LL), medium light (ML) and high light (HL) -revealed that D. unguja was more sensitive to HL than R. rhodostoma. Genetic characterization of their endosymbiotic algae using a PCR for the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA showed that both R. rhodostoma and D. unguja contain Symbiodinium ITS2-type C1 symbionts in shallow areas, but that the algal assemblage were either Type C1 or Type D1a in both species in deeper areas. In reciprocal depth, light, and temperature manipulation experiments, bleached R. rhodostoma never shuffled Symbiodinium ITS2 types, however, some R. rhodostoma in the control treatment did. In contrast, some individuals of D. unguja shuffled Symbiodinium ITS2 types both in field-reciprocal experiments and laboratory-control treatments. Both species contained UV radiation absorbing compounds over a wide-depth range. We concluded that the photoacclimation mechanisms of R. rhodostoma and D. unguja were influenced by both host-and symbiont-mediated factors. We hypothesize that a low abundance of D. unguja in shallow water was due to decreased tolerance to the high irradiance found in host factors. KEY WORDS: Photoacclimation mechanisms · Corallimorpharians · Photosynthetic parameters · ZooxanthellaeResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Mar Ecol Prog Ser 369: 115-129, 2008 combination of high atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and elevated temperatures (Berner 1992). During the early Cretaceous, multiple calcifying scleractinians became extinct (Buddemeier 1996), but many survived and radiated into considerable diversity (ChadwickFurman 1996, Stanley 2003. The surviving corallimorpharians may have lost their ability to calcify, but they maintained primary life functions, perhaps creating a means to increase fitness in a relatively acidic sea with low Mg/Ca ratios (Stanley 2003, Medina et al. 2006. Loss of skeleton in corallimorpharians may have been compensated for by enhanced physiological capabilities as a means of coping with environmental changes. Understanding more about the physiological properties of corallimorpharians offers an opportunity to uncover a latent chapter in the evolution of corals and their ability to survive immense climatic changes. While the effects of light and temperature stress on reef-buil...

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“…Less well documented are communities that have tended toward the dominance of other cnidarians such as corallimorphs and anemones (Chen and Dai 2004, Kuguru et al 2004, Tkachenko et al 2007, Work et al 2008. Here, we report the increase of algae abundance at the expense of hard coral cover.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 59%

Temporal Changes in Reef Community Structure at Bintan Island (Indonesia) Suggest Need for Integrated Management

et al. 2010

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Reefs in Southeast Asia, such as those in Indonesia's Riau archipelago, are among the most diverse habitats in the sea, but limited baseline data pose a severe challenge for their conservation. Here, we surveyed five reef sites along the northern coast of Bintan Island to determine the most recent condition of the benthic and fish communities. Fourteen years of resort development on the island have elapsed since the last survey in 1993. Using several diversity measures to compare the reefs then and in 2007, we found that abundances of hard corals and fish remained high (average of >50% coral cover and >0.7 fish/m 3 ), but taxonomic richness was compromised. The most common taxa now account for greater proportions of fish counts at all sites and of coral cover at three of four comparable sites. These shifts in coral and fish assemblages may be explained by freshwater influences and development along the north coast of Bintan Island. Because the local community and tourism industry still rely heavily on the reefs, we advocate implementing a comprehensive, integrated coastal management plan that mitigates further reef declines and promotes sustainable use.

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The reef environment and competitive success in the Corallimorpharia

Cited by 33 publications

References 32 publications

Alternative states on coral reefs: beyond coral–macroalgal phase shifts

Alternative states on coral reefs: beyond coral–macroalgal phase shifts

Mechanisms of habitat segregation between corallimorpharians: photosynthetic parameters and Symbiodinium types

Temporal Changes in Reef Community Structure at Bintan Island (Indonesia) Suggest Need for Integrated Management

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